Autoblog

Click above for more Fisker-supplied spy shots of the Karma

Isn't it fitting that Fisker Automotive's upcoming series-hybrid sports sedan is named Karma?. After having commissioned Fisker to help design its second product, the Whitestar sedan, Tesla Motors sued Fisker claiming it stole trade secrets that were then used on the Karma. Following that lawsuit, Tesla was then sued by Magna, one of its former transmission suppliers, Tesla's suit against Fisker came several weeks after Tesla themselves were sued by Magna Powetrain who had been contracted to develop a new transmission for the Roadster and now Fisker is slapping the upstart electric car company with its own arbitration suit. That's karma for you, right there.

Fisker will attempt to first derail Tesla's original lawsuit by seeking to have it moved from San Mateo, CA to Orange County, after which it will then try to prove that Tesla is attempting to divert attention away from its delayed all-electric Roadster by suing Fisker. To that end, Henrik Fisker himself called the whole mess "ridiculous" and referred to Tesla's behaviour as "sour grapes". An arbitrator will likely determine whether he's right or not, but until then we lowly consumers must await ramped up production of the Tesla Roadster and the eventual arrival of the Fisker Karma. Thanks for the tip, Doug!


[Source: CNET News]

Click on the image to see high-res shots of the "see-through" Subaru

While automakers spend huge amounts of money paying marketing firms to come up with memorable advertising campaigns, sometimes something relatively simple does the job just as well. Take this Subaru Outback. Dreamed up by Stan Palmer Sales of Carlisle, a Subaru dealership in the U.K., this particular Outback appears to be see-through and was developed to promote the marque's new diesel boxer engine, the first such engine in the world. An image in a Subaru brochure was snapped with an eight megapixel camera, blown up and plastered onto the full-sized car.

Though the whole project took just one day, the effort has drummed up plenty of interest. According to Dealer Principal Ian Armstrong, "The reaction has been fantastic, with people almost tripping up as they walk past." Considering that the Outback isn't exactly a fresh model, the added interest has caught the attention of Lawrence Good, Managing Director of Subaru Limited in the U.K, who said: "This car has become quite a talking point back here in head office and is a fantastic and cost-effective advertising initiative. It should inspire other dealers to either copy the idea or come up with their own innovative campaigns." Sounds like they love it.


[Source: Subaru]

Some interesting two-wheeled, fuel-efficient vehicles popped up on AutoblogGreen yesterday. The Derbi DH 2.0 (pictured) takes styling cues from mountain bikes while the nUCLEUS takes its cues from nothing. Toyota won a round in the ongoing hybrid patent case and, out in Las Vegas, AutoblogGreen chatted with GM's Larry Burns.

• AFVI 2008: A cringing lunch, courtesy of Honda
• AVFI 2008: Sitting down for a moment with GM's Larry Burns
• AFVI 2008: we present to you the lifesize Monopoly Prius
• Derbi DH 2.0: looking to mountainbikes for inspiration
• The nUCLEUS is one crazy-looking alternative motorcycle concept
• Yes they will, no they won't: maybe Audi will intro Q7 hybrid in '09, or not
• Larry Sonsini joins Tesla board to provide guidance on future direction
• Triac to arrive this July, reservations being accepted, and other juicy details
• Brazil starts pro-ethanol diplomatic offensive
• Citroën installs robotized gearshift for the Nemo
• Diesels set market share record in UK
• Air Force contract to continue work on high energy battery awarded to Electro Energy
• Toyota gives $100,000 to Huron River Watershed Council
• The Nano won't be lonely: Renault announces ultra-low cost car
• Solomon Tech's appeal in Toyota hybrid patent case denied
• All of Madrid's official vehicles will use clean fuels by 2011
• Bosch challenging Japanese suppliers for hybrid dominance
• Alstare working on ethanol powered motorcycles and ATVs
• Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup heads north of the border

It's a little hard to make out shrunk down like this, but that diamond on the Mustang plate in the picture above reads "Propane." Just one of many little discoveries AutoblogGreen found at this year's AFVI expo. While all this is going on, we're also tracking Tesla's troubles with production car #2 (or is it?). And two vehicles you might see in large(r) numbers on U.S. roads in the near future are the i MiEV (which recently cruised through NYC) and the venerable Tuk Tuk.

• AFVI 2008: Need some propane for your pony? IMPCO shows off bi-fuel 'Stang
• AFVI 2008: Opening speakers talk geopolitics, oil shocks and GM's lineup
• Tesla Saga continues: When is production car #2 not?
• Tuk Tuk coming to American roads near you?
• i MiEV on iTunes in HD
• This can't get more Italian: the Fiat 500 Giovanni Rana pastamobile
• Toyota loses hybrid patent appeal case
• McCain will discuss environmental policy specifics today
• Trucking group proposes plan to cut fuel consumption and emissions
• Ford Mondeo most driven car in UK, Daewoo Matiz the least
• GM to push premium green image in China
• Biodiesel's fate in Farm Bill reauthorization uncertain
• Renault to have a "range of electrics" in 2010; Nissan-NEC JV working on li-ion batteries
• Look out, Lexus! Audi and BMW bringing ZF 8-speed to market
• Lawsuit filed in hybrid bus hullabaloo
• Ford to build smaller, lighter pickup off next F-Series platform
• Carchops.com take on the Aptera
• Take a drink from a recycled windshield

On the surface, carbon fiber sounds like a wonder-product which can replace much of the heavy metal, especially steel, that makes up the vast majority of nearly every automobile's structure. Dig a bit deeper, however, and there are a few flies in CF's ointment that make it very difficult to use in vehicles: price, supply and the time it takes to mold a the weaved material. Japan's big three carbon fiber producers are tackling each of these issues in a number of ways. First, the price of CF is expected to become more competitive as both carbon cloth goes down and rolled sheet steel goes up. What's more, as additional CF producing plants come online in the coming years, both the price and availability should improve. Third, new molding processes are being developed which could reduce the time it takes to produce a CF part from hours to minutes.

Carbon fiber is expected to ease the transition to more fuel efficient vehicles as it weights a fifth of what steel does for a part of roughly the same strength. As Automotive News points out, the overall weight of any given vehicle could be halved by replacing major structural steel components with CF, so expect to see CF move down market from the exotics to more mainstream models in the next decade or so.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Martin Eberhard first conceived of what ultimately became Tesla Motors and the Tesla Roadster when he couldn't get AC Propulsion to build him a TZero. Since he wanted a battery-powered sports car, Eberhard set out to bring together a team that would build his dream car. Of course, it was always his intention to buy the first car for himself, but creating a car company from scratch is not a low budget proposition. Hence Eberhard had to bring in some investors to fund the program. PayPal founder Elon Musk came in big with a pile of cash in return for which he requested the first car. After some haggling, Eberhard agreed to take Roadster number 2 and things moved along.

As we now know, Tesla encountered some speed bumps along the way and production got delayed by many months. The first production model was completed in December 2007, and delivered to Musk in February. Series production officially kicked off on March 17 of this year with the car with serial number 2 starting down the line. That car destined for Eberhard has yet to leave the Lotus factory in England. Meanwhile two other cars have been completed and one has been delivered to a customer in the U.S. while the other has been touring Europe for the last couple of weeks. Needless to say, Martin Eberhard is not pleased about other people getting their Roadsters before him. The problem is that automotive build sequences are a very complicated matter, which are only made worse when you blend big egos into the mix. The matter comes down to the difference between what the VIN numbers say and which cars we're actually built when. AutoblogGreen has a detailed report on what was "promised" to Eberhard, and what is being delivered, including documents provided by Eberhard.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Toyota lawyers arrived at the U.S. Supreme Court today and were denied an appeal to overturn a ruling originally upheld by a federal appeals court in Washington last year. The case involved a technology patent held by a company named Paice LLC, which contended that Toyota used the same microprocessor developed by the McLean, Virginia-based company on its hybrid vehicles that inputs torque information for both the gasoline-powered engine and the electric motor. The $4.3 million dollar award against Toyota will stand, and Toyota is required to pay royalties to the firm to the tune of $25 for every Prius, Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX400h sold. Ouch. Sometimes the price of success is steep.

[Source: Detroit News]

If an AutoblogGreen writer is in Los Angeles, there's a real good chance they're going to want to visit the new Tesla Motors store. So, that's what we did. We're aware that there are people out there who are judging the Tesla Roadster and Chevy Volt by different standards, but that didn't make the short test drive any less fun. Meanwhile, we might be seeing the end of body on frame SUVs from GM.

• AutoblogGreen pays a visit to the new Tesla Motors store
• Renault's electric car debuts in Tel Aviv
• Is the Volta G/T a 175 mph electric motorcycle?
• No more body on frame SUVs likely from GM
• Continental says "good chance" to win Volt battery contract
• Craigslist find of the day: Electric Volvo
• Aerocivic and its aesthetically-challenged modifications strikes again!
• VIDEO: Wind-powered Lotus Exige in the works?
• Illinois brothers tune up a 100 mpge Prius
• Judging the Tesla Roadster and Chevy Volt by different standards
• Who knew? Big Oil is non-profit
• BMW twin-turbo 2.0L diesel wins Best New Engine of 2008
• LA traffic lighter thanks to high gas prices, Americans driving less

More headlines after the jump.

Up until now, the Fisker Karma hasn't really been much more than a pretty face to go along with a promise. That changes today, thanks to a spy photographer who was lucky enough to catch the upcoming plug-in hybrid sedan out testing in California. Lawsuits often seem to have a dampening effect on enthusiasm, so it's good to see the Karma out and about. We can clearly see that the body is the same shape as what we all saw at its introduction earlier this year in Detroit. What we don't know yet is what's powering those shapely curves down the road. The first inclination from Autocar is that a Volkswagen 1.4-liter four-banger will provide power to the lithium ion batteries via a generator, but we really can't be sure what's being tested. Still, given the amount of electric know-how that Quantum Technologies, the electric powertrain supplier to Fisker, already has, we wouldn't be too surprised if something close to final-spec components were being run through their paces.

UPDATE: For what it's worth, these photos were not captured by a photographer hiding in the bushes. They were apparently actually put out by Fisker's Beverly Hills PR agency Rogers & Cowan. We still don't know anything about the mechanicals of the car in question, only that Fisker is trying to generate some buzz.

[Source: Autocar via AutoblogGreen, Autoweek]

Man, the dangers of the new automotive world: confusing ethanol for biodiesel and kids hitting the silent Prius. Over in London, a new electric taxi is not going to be worth it to 60 percent of the cab drivers who need more oomph than the 100-mile range the batteries can provide. Still, that means 40 percent could use it. Sweet.

• We're telling you for the last time, ethanol is not biodiesel
• Minnesota boy rides bike into Prius he didn't hear
• Stillborn: French gas stations chain stops selling E85
• Audi and Sanyo developing hybrids together
• Battery-powered 1994 minivan cost $6,000, runs 20-25 miles
• Altairnano still in the game for Phoenix Motorcars
• Toyota gives $400,000 to UC Santa Barbara to fund eco fellowships
• Ford is the first carmaker to join the Climate Registry
• Volkswagen TSI engine wins its category again for Engine of the Year
• TX4E electric taxi will only appeal to some London cabbies
• Ten new public electron dispensers pop up in London
• Volvo shows off new FlexiFuel range, including V70 police car
• Fiat to introduce natural gas fueled Palio in India
• South Dakota lawmaker wants cellulosic ethanol to count towards RFS
• Venture funds flowing into Firefly for advanced batteries
• Prius wins JD Power award for highest consumer satisfaction in U.K.
• Altairnano releases 1st Q earning report, holds conference call